Not exclusively about the Kamiq I know but we took this out for the first time when buying a new car.

Normally I have spec'd a purchase unto the our budget and couldn't justify it. But this time I we decided to just do it to see if its truly easier to keep the car nicer in the long term with much less effort.

It's not cheap in my opinion but that said if it is 3/4 as good as they say then it should be worth every penny, saving me from a couple of hours hard graft a few times a year.

1 hour ago, Stoker said:

Not exclusively about the Kamiq I know but we took this out for the first time when buying a new car.

Normally I have spec'd a purchase up to our budget and couldn't justify it. But this time we decided to just do it to see if its truly easier to keep the car nicer in the long term with much less effort.

It's not cheap in my opinion but that said if it is 3/4 as good as they say then it should be worth every penny, saving me from a couple of hours hard graft a few times a year.

Lets try that again with out the auto corrects (too late to edit so amended in quote)

Anybody got first hand experience of these packages?

I refused it, it was added on without me being asked and any paint damage meant a complete re-application at my cost.

.

@Stoker  If you want it buy the products which are available at not crazy prices and you apply it.

You are as well qualified as the people that will do it for a dealership.     With the money saved for your labor and no commission to yourself you can buy something useful. 

Never have paint protection from a dealer. They use inferior products compared to ceramic coatings you can buy and do yourself. If you're not that way inclined find a well rated local detailer to do it for you. They'll do a better job, with better products and ALOT cheaper.

It’s all just a silly way for dealers to make money.  One of several “scams”.

Not sure how many of the above answers have actually had experience of it to come to the conclusion its not a quality product?

Also anybody who applies a product (good or poor) will only be in it for profit so why shouldn't the dealers be?

 

Thats why I was really after first hand experience from those who had the product applied by the dealer.  Maybe nobody cares to admit it 🤪

But I liked the look of it https://www.lifeshine.com/

And at least there is something on from day 1 (i.e. before the gritters hit the roads).

 

I do expect that a car detailer would have a few tricks up his sleeve to achieve good results and stand by the products he would use, where as a dealer will have likely have someone young 'on the books' who is neither qualified by either decent training or experience.

As it happens, I've never taken it out before but as they all but threw it in when I declined several times listening to the price fall, I did get it.

Now we've had a teeny little bit of rain recently so the puddles on the road have been well....shall we say MASSIVE and every200 yards so I have hit a few with force which will have acted like a pressure wash here and there.

I'll report back on it's durability when I wash the car which is likely to be next month at the earliest.

 

 

Absolute waste of money.  You can go online and get far superior products that do the same job for far cheaper….and do it yourself.

 

You think that your average Main Dealer has a dedicated bodywork and detailing expert on site?  No, it’ll be the minimum wage car cleaner that on a typical day washes cars with filthy water and grit ridden sponges.

 

Do it yourself, that way you save a shed load of money AND you will actually care about the car you are working on, unlike the service departments car cleaner that sees your car as just another car.

 

You might get better results from so called “detailing specialists” but again it’s nothing you can’t do yourself for far cheaper.  Remember this, nobody will car for your car as much as you car for your car.  

 

But, your money your choice.

Edited 11 January, 20242 yr by carefree

I have heard this so many times and I'm not under any illusion its cheap or the best.

But I feel I need set the record straight a bit. If it turns out to be durable, it needn't be such a rip off that people say as a default answer without supplying facts.

It would be far more useful if someone could please elaborate on  products  far superior to autoglym Cerafuse and far cheaper.

You've got £230 to beat and I'd love to hear it. Clearly the dealer will still have made money somehow and don't get me wrong their opening price was insultingly skyward of £500 initially but several polite refusals over a couple of days and other carrots thrown in we got there. Maybe they made £50 from me and £400 from the previous 2 customers, I don't know but they are happy and so am I.

 

Lets say and I'm guessing individual application cost but ....

- I effectively paid something like £50  (or £77 maybe if you read on) for some average Joe to do the elbow grease but he's done 20 plus cars in terms of experience vs my zero. I'm OK with that.

- The 3 products initially applied can be bought on eBay right now for £27.99  with no guarantee registration (OK name some alternatives cheaper and better I'm all ears)

- I now have an after care kit which Halfords and the like  all sell this allegedly inferior autoglym and the costs are

Instant tyre dressing It will get used (maybe not all the time) £11.50

Custom wheel cleaner same as above. £13.49

Fast Glass DEFINITELY good £11.50

Interior shampoo ( I doubt I'll use it, never needed anything like that ever). £10.99

Autofresh (what the hell is that?) no thanks £10.49

Foaming car wash, of course £11.99

Rapid Ceramic spray £22.99

Bird dropping wipes, I'll use these if caught out and can't get to good old water in time. £10

Microfibre drying towel £20.99

Microfibre cloths x 2  not sure lets say £6

Sponge £3

 

The total purchase cost for the aftercare kit from a shop is approx £133

Initial application products and guarantee £27.99

Application service from garage I guessed £50

 

I have a rough figure of £208 so that is £22 less than what they have actually billed me for. But when you consider I still wouldn't have been able to apply it myself by now that is worth the £22 on its own and I have a few conservative guesses in my post rather than generous.

The downside is I would never have purchased autofresh, branded cloths or interior shampoo and that means I could have saved £25ish.

 

 

 

 

I used to apply the products in new and used vehicles pre sales.

With products that were from trade suppliers and at trade prices.   Costs nothing like those above. I know the Commission that the Sales Executives could get for the very lucrative sale of this Service.

I know what was done when as part of the deal this might be given as a no cost incentive to get a sale, and then how much goes down as the cost of this in the Profit from car purchased, prepped and ten sold and taxes paid on profits. 

Sometimes the cars when bought at Auction are then Prepped before delivery to the Dealers and having nothing else done before the new owner them.

Just the Used Car Pre Check.    (Flying pigs.)

@Rooted

Yes I'm sure there was still profit for them as I mentioned and I'd agree they wouldn't pay prices I mentioned above.

But as an owner with no trade contacts the cost to me was I believe competetive enough.

Would an independent detailer with similar products be much cheaper to me?

Had I bought the car on a warm overcast week in June for instance just maybe I'd have driven it home, inspected and ridded t of road grime and had a go at something myself.

I just hope that when it gets washed that base protection has been durable enough to live on.

 

 

At the end of the day, if you're happy then nobody else's opinions matter.

True enough @gs86 I just hope maybe the thread has provided some balance. 

Because the overwhelming consensus is that its a rip off yet most people saying that are just along for the ride.

I don't have money to throw away and it was a tough decision (no justification needed as you point out) but in making my mind up I became boggled about how unbalanced the opinions are with experience.

Many forums (Range Rover BMW & VW in my experience) all heavily favour the waste of money opinion but no real experience exercised.

It’s a car, it’s designed to be used in all weathers and protection or not it will get dirty and it will pick up stonechips, scrapes and scratches.  Apart from the odd wash and wax I wouldn’t bother.

 

Years ago I used to be ultra paranoid with my cars, washing them every other day in the winter when it was -2 degrees, inspecting the bodywork every time I had driven it, not parking next to other cars etc.  Screw that these days, it’s a lump of metal and whilst I like my cars to be nice I refuse to let it consume me like I did when I was younger.

 

Drive it, enjoy it and WHEN you pick up stonechips, the odd scratch or minor dent just brush it off because it happens…..expensive paint protection or not.